Boom Boom Part 2: The Changeling's Dilemma
by Miss0Lemonade
Summary: [on hold until the prequel is done]Part 2 of 3. BB and Sonia are haunted by the spirit that stole Krystal's life. Her old friends step in and BB gets a taste of the normal life. Who is Madison Garner?
1. Chapter 1

My favorite guy character from Teen Titans is, without a doubt, Beastboy (I like the funny ones) so I decided to write a story involving him and another character I created. Enjoy!

(PS: some things came from another story I've written (Boom Boom) If you haven't read it you might get more than a little confused; so don't read this until you've read Boom Boom!)

Teen Titans The Changeling's Dilemma Chapter 1

Beastboy stood alone in a field of beautiful wildflowers. The dream felt so real he thought he could smell them. _Almost like…spring _he thought.

"My dear… child…" a voice said from behind him. He turned around and faced a beautiful woman with warm purple eyes and long flowing blonde hair. She wore a long, violet dress trimmed with dark purple and that had detached sleeves that hung low from the slits on the top of them. "Return to me… come home… come…home." She started to fade away, and her voice became faint.

"Wait, return where?" BB shouted as she disappeared. "Who are you?" Suddenly, the land was no longer a paradise. It changed quickly, becoming a black wasteland in a matter of seconds. Not understanding at all, Beastboy walked through the dark desert, feeling something leaving him with every step he took. _What is this place? Why do I feel so strange?_

Suddenly, he fell to his knees, his body racked with pain. He heard the woman's voice again, this time it rang with sorrow. "I'm sorry, my child. It must be done. I'm sorry…" He fell onto his back returning to consciousness just as he heard his door close in Titan's Tower. A few seconds later, it opened again, and then he heard Raven's voice.

"Beastboy, what's wrong? You were screaming," the look on Raven's face was surprising; she was genuinely concerned.

BB shook his head. "I'm fine… There's someone in the Tower. Go get Robin."

Raven looked confused. "I didn't see anyone when I came here. Are you-" She stopped, and covered her mouth. "Beastboy…your…your skin."

"What? What about it? WHA-!" BB looked at his arm, which was no longer green, but a normal peach color. He tried to get out of bed, but every thing he moved burned with pain, causing him to cry out. "What's going on!"

His shouts brought the other three Titans to his door. He told Robin about what he heard, but Cyborg said his security system couldn't be beat, but to be certain, Cy, Star, and the Boy Wonder went to search the tower while Raven stayed with BB. He didn't want to be alone after what he'd been through. While they waited Raven asked him if he could change into an animal. He tried, but…"I don't believe this!" he shouted exasperatedly. "How could this happen! Man, you gotta be kidding me! I'm blonde, fleshy and I can't change! AUGH!" He collapsed on his bed and threw his arms above his head.

"Calm down, Beastboy. Shouting isn't going to solve anything." Raven almost felt guilty. Ever since she had understood the significance of her powers, she had only wanted to be rid of them. But Beastboy lived for his powers. _It's not fair, _she thoughtgrowing angry at fate, and simultaneously blowing up a light bulb.

"Dude, are you okay Raven? Um, I'll calm down, okay?" BB had been loudly complaining about his situation when Raven went off into her own thoughts, so he had assumed that was what had ticked her off.

"Uh, yeah. Thanks. So, did anything weird happen yesterday?" She decided not to mention her envy right now. First she had to help her friend.

"Well, let's see." He went over the past day, from eating Tofu Flakes for breakfast, to video games with Cyborg and Robin, to accidentally spilling all of Raven's favorite herbal tea leaves into the sink-

"Wait, that was you?" Raven interrupted. He had let Starfire take the heat.

"Uh, y-yeah, sorry," he apologized, wilting under Raven's glare. "I'll buy you some more, I promise." This seemed to calm her down, and she nodded for him to continue. "I can't really think of any thing really out of the ordinary that happened, besides the weird dream I had."

This sparked Raven's interest. "What kind of dream?"

Beastboy was about to tell her, when the others returned. "Well, we didn't see anything," Cyborg stated.

"I saw a large rat, and it was most creepy!" Starfire had obviously been frightened by the rodent. "It had a most unusual color of fur."

"What color was it?" BB asked her.

"It seemed to be purple, but it must have been the color gray, correct?"

The Titans dismissed the whole thing, agreeing that Star must have been mistaken. BB then described the dream that he had had, which didn't really clear any thing up at all. Everyone was stumped. They decided that they should get some sleep and start searching for answers in the morning. Beastboy hoped that this was just some kind of nightmare, and that when he woke up again, he would be green again, and that everything would be back to normal. But, remembering the pain, deep down, he knew that this was no dream.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------So do you like it so far? Let me know!


	2. Chapter 2

On with chapter 2!

Teen Titans The Changeling's Dilemma Chapter 2!

"Hey, Charlotte?…Yeah, I'm not feelin' that great…I'm sorry, I can't perform tonight…I'm goin' straight to bed, don't you worry. See ya next week." Sonia hung up the phone, and leaned heavily against her kitchen counter. _What is wrong with me, I can hardly stand up. And… my powers. _She tried again to bend the sound of her own breathing into the sound of ocean waves. Usually such a simple task, it took all her concentration today. Finally hearing what she wanted, she let go, and walked over to her couch and collapsed.

_I wonder if it has anything to do with my period. It doesn't usually bother me, but who knows? Or maybe… _She thought about the dream she had had last night. A strange woman told her to come home, then a tremendous pain. Frightened, she had screamed, and bent it until it woke her up. Her neighbors in her apartment building heard her and came to see if she was all right. She had told them it was a nightmare, and they went back to their own apartments._ That was weird though, that I had used my powers in a dream. Wonder what it means…_

**DING DONG DING DONG DING DONG!** _Now who could this be? _With a groan, she stood up and looked through her door. A short guy about her age with blonde hair and green eyes stood at her door. _Who…?_

Suddenly he started banging on the door. "SONIAAAA! IT'S ME, BEASTBOY!" He shouted.

She sighed. _I know that voice. _She opened the door for her friend. "What happened to you? Didya get the Michael Jackson treatment?" She grinned, but she was troubled. _Has he lost his power too?_

"Aww, shut it." He flopped down on her couch the same way she had a few moments ago. "I can't change, I'm blonde, I feel like my ears have been chopped off…"

"Bad day, huh?" Sonia said as she shut the door and sat down beside him. "Why'd ya come here? You'll probably have more luck looking for answers on Cyborg's data bases."

BB sat up, a grim look on his face. "We already tried that, and we couldn't find a thing." He shifted a little; having not worn jeans in years, he wasn't quite used to them yet. "But I wanted to ask you about…um, Krystal."

The name brought a twinge of pain and guilt to Sonia's concerned facade. _Why is he bringing this up? _"W-what about her?"

Beastboy felt bad about bringing up these hurtful memories, but he had to know. "Um, she said she was being controlled by some spirit. Did…did she mention what it looked like?"

"Yeah…" she turned to look at him. "Yeah, her last words were something like 'Beware the one with golden locks and eyes of amethyst.' Why?"

He told her about his dream, and it frightened her. _It's the same person I saw._

"This spirit was telling me to go somewhere. Where?"

They sat in silence for a while, each wondering where this apparition wanted them to go. Suddenly, Sonia straightened up. "Where were you born?"

"Do what?" He turned towards her. "Um, in the country, a little to the west of here." (Disclaimer: I don't know where he was really born, so just bare with me.) "Why?"

She grinned and stood up shakily. "That's where we have to go. That's what she wants."

"Wait, she's evil, right? Why are we gonna go where she wants us to? What if it's a trap?" BB had another reason for hesitation. He didn't want to put Sonia in danger just to get his power back. "I mean, if that's what you think, I can get the guys to come with me. You don't have to…"

"Beastboy." Her tone had changed. There was no bounciness to her voice now. "I swore to myself that I'd find the person who made me murder my best friend…my sister… I swore vengeance." She stopped as her throat choked and her voice cracked. "I…I have to..." she swooned suddenly, her knees buckled. Beastboy jumped up and caught her.

"Sonia!" He couldn't understand what was going on.

"Don't…don't let me…fall asleep." Her tears flowed freely down her cheek. "Beastboy…Don't let her…" Her eyes closed and she began to dream immediately.

She opened her eyes again, and could still feel BB holding her. But when she looked up, it wasn't his eyes that she found. _Eyes of amethyst…_She was looking up at the spirit who had taken Beastboy's power of transformation, and who had tried to take her sound weaving ability. _Who…are you?_

_I am the one who lent you your powers. _She smiled gently. _And now I've come to take them back. _Her gentle smile faded, as did the rest of her body. But where she had touched Sonia, she felt like there were fires, burning and growing to consume her whole being. She closed her eyes, hoping to make it all go away, until a voice in her head spoke up; _this is what happened to Krystal. _Sonia's eyes flew open, full of determination. _No, I will not lose to this creature. I don't care if you gave me my abilities or what; no one controls me without a fight! _She curled up in a ball, and tried to gather herself against the flames that were threatening to make her disappear. She found her voice, lost among her scattered attributes. And with a final prayer that BB wasn't too close, she screamed.

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Review please! Don't care what ya say, just say something!


	3. Chapter 3

I will again warn you all that if you haven't read Boom Boom, you're gonna get lost! Go read it!

Teen Titans The Changeling's Dilemma Chapter 3!

When she woke up, Sonia was lying on her couch, and she could smell food cooking. She tried to remember what had happened, but only found pain. She opened her eyes, looked towards her small kitchen, and saw the blonde Beastboy with an apron on, stir-frying some mushrooms, onions and green peppers. She realized she was smelling some of her veggie burgers frying in a pan next to the vegetables.

"What's cookin' doc?" she asked weakly.

"Oh, you're awake!" Sonia had obviously startled him. "Lunch, that's what's cooking!" he said with a grin.

"Great, I'm starving," she lied. The memories had seeped slowly back in, and she now felt even worse than before. At least BB didn't seem hurt. Physically hurt, that is. He must have figured out that she had seen the same ghost he had. "Hey, Beastboy," She started apologetically while sitting up painfully.

"Yeah, what is it?" He had a pretty good idea what she was about to say. When she had passed out she had asked BB not to let her fall asleep, and that someone was going to get her. He had pieced it together from there. It had really scared him when Sonia had screamed. It had been a bone-chilling experience.

"I'm sorry for not telling you that I had the same dream as you. I just didn't want you to get worried." She was sorry, but she didn't want to burden him with her own problems.

"Sonia, we're friends, right? I came running to you when I had a problem didn't I? You can tell me when you have a problem. Okay?" He remembered telling Terra almost the same thing.

Sonia smiled back at him. "Okay, thanks Beastboy."

They sat down to lunch, veggie burgers with the sautéed vegetables on top. They ate silently for a while, before BB's communicator went off. It was Cyborg, checking up on him, asking if he had found anything out. He said yeah, and that he would be back in a little while, after he had finished lunch.

"How's Boom?" Cy asked.

"You won't believe this. She had the same dream as me! And we figured out that the spirit that took over Krystal is the same spirit that took my powers and now it's after Sonia too and-"

Sonia yanked the device out of his hands and spoke matter of factly. "Hey Cy, let me talk to Robin." He handed the communicator over to Robin. "Yo boy wonder, how's it been?"

"Not so great, as you can imagine. Did you guys find any thing out?" he asked her, business as usual as well.

"Yeah, that I can beat her whoever or whatever she is. My screams seem to weaken her a lot. We also figured out where she wants us to go; a little town called Stapleton. We'll probably head out tonight."

This grabbed Beastboy's attention. _How'd she know that's where I was born? I wonder what else she hasn't told me. _Boom had a history of lying about things she didn't think people needed to know. She always saw it as sparing them the trouble. It was a serious flaw, but Sonia always felt that she should bare the most burden. Part of it was guilt over killing Krystal. Another part of it was the fact that she didn't think she should live a good life, because she had killed so many other people when she did robberies. _She's way too hard on herself,_ he thought as he slumped down on the couch again.

"Wait, I don't think it's wise to move on your own. What if there's trouble?" Robin didn't say it, but he didn't think BB would be much help in a fight now.

"Thought you'd say that, but what about the city? You guys are needed here, too. Besides, I got a couple of friends I know will help me." She grinned thinking about her so-called friends. _They're gonna be so pissed at me. Ah well, they owe me._

"Are you sure? We could send Starfire with you guys." The girl appeared behind him, floating and nodding her head in approval.

"No thanks." Starfire deflated. "Really, what if there's a huge emergency? You're gonna be handicapped enough without Beastboy. You'll need all the help you can get."

"All right, if you say so. Well, come by the Tower before you guys leave and get some supplies. You can take one of our cars too. Just bring it back," he added when he saw her mile wide grin and glimmering eyes.

"Okay! See ya then!" Sonia closed the communicator, still grinning mischievously, and she went to get her apartment keys, saying "Well, let's go green man!" But her keys weren't where they were supposed to be. She whirled around, and found Beastboy giving her a suspicious look and holding her keys in his hand. "What? What's that look for?"

"You're going to tell me the whole truth right now, Sonia Trivlusky." His use of her whole name made her wince. It reminded her of when…no, she can't think about the past right now. It would be too hard to keep control.

"Alright," she sighed and looked straight at BB. "Do you really want the whole truth?" He nodded. "Fine. I wasn't just born with my abilities, and neither was Krys. When we were born, our parents and the parents of three other children born that night had us blessed by this Wicca woman."

"Do you know these other people?"

"Yeah, David and Phillip. Dave can control sunlight, and Phil can do the same with water."

"Wait, that's only two," he interrupted. "Who was the other kid?"

"Well, I'm guessing it's you." She looked straight at him, hoping he'd believe her this time.

"Did your parents tell you all this?" BB asked her, this time a little more somber.

"No, actually," her face fell more than a little, "they died. And so did Krystal's. She and I were adopted by the same family..." She paused. "Derek's family. That's why I've always called her my sister. It was Derek's parents who told us. They had known our parents really well before they had that accident. They also knew the families that had Dave and Phillip blessed, so we've kept in touch." This time Sonia was telling the truth as far as she knew. "I haven't talked to them lately though. They…don't know what we did for Derek, or what's happened to Krys. It's going to be rough on them."

"Yeah, but it was rough for you too." Beastboy knew exactly how she felt about losing Krystal. He had been through the same thing with Terra. He felt like Boom was a kindred spirit, someone who shared his pain. Since the Krystal ordeal he had visited her a couple of times, and each time she had seemed a little less depressed, as he had put it to the Titans.

Now that he believed he knew the truth, he held out Boom's keys to her. "But from now on, you've got to stop lying, whether or not you think it's important, promise?"

Sonia looked straight into those emerald eyes of his, and said, "I promise." She knew it would be tough, keeping this promise, but she didn't want to lose one of the last people who would call himself her friend. "Now let's get this show on the road!"

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Well what did ya think? Let me know, squidfaces!


	4. Chapter 4

Hellooooo! I don't really have anything to say, except (jumps on nearest thing) I've got a lovely bunch of coconuts, deedlydee! There they are a-standing in a row! (Forgive me, it's like 4 AM.)

The Changeling's Dilemma Chapter 4

After they had both packed up a week's worth of clothes and junk food from their respective homes, Boom and Beastboy were ready to head out. It would take them about a day to reach both Dave's and Phil's houses, then another half a day to reach Stapleton. They headed down the highway in one of the less conspicuous (and less valuable) cars from the Tower garage (I'm thinking an Intrepid, but I don't know cars anyway).

Beastboy sat in the passenger's seat, lost in his own thoughts. He remembered, happily, how Starfire had nearly killed Boom in one of her infamous hugs. Even Raven had given her a polite nod before pulling BB to the side. "Be careful. If things don't add up, confront her about it, okay? If you need help, call me-us. Us." Her hood was up, but Beastboy could have sworn he had seen a blush before she turned away. He grinned at the memory, blushing slightly.

"So, whatcha thinking about, pinky?" Sonia teased, having noticed his red cheeks.

"N-n-nothing!" he stuttered embarrassedly. _Why am I stuttering? It's not like I like Raven. She'd kill me if I even thought that._

Sonia quietly chuckled, but let it be. She remembered waving goodbye to the Titans. It had felt weird, like she was leaving them for good. _I need to stop by more often. Everyone was acting so stiff. I'll have to take them to the club when this all blows over._ She didn't even bother thinking 'if'. She knew this would all be over some time. But she wasn't so sure about the outcome.

"So, did you find anything out about that stone?" B asked her. He knew she must. The book that Raven had lent her hadn't been returned yet.

"No, not really," she answered nonchalantly.

"Really?" he asked her, naturally suspicious.

"Well, maybe a little." She said, relenting as she remembered her promise.

"Sonia?"

"All right! I found out that there are four other Madison stones; an emerald, a garnet, a blue zircon, and an amber stone. They, along with the lapis lazuli, represent the five things of this world; the earth, the sun, the sea, the wind, and the sky, all in order. It spoke of five individuals who, if they came in contact with their corresponding gem, could each become Madison's vessel, and unleash the spirit who corrupted these stones with her black magic." She said all this as if she had known it her whole life, not learned it in about a month. "I have a feeling those who received their powers from this so-called Wicca are the incarnations of the spirits of the world. It makes sense, Dave's fire, Phil's ice, my songs, your animals; except Krys," she said the last name painfully. "Why was she able to create glass if she's like the sky?"

"Maybe she's like the atmosphere, y'know? See through and breakable, but still able to put up a shield?" Beastboy's insight startled Boom.

"Yeah, that makes sense." She grinned at him. "Wow, you're smarter than you look!"

"Tha-hey!"

She giggled as he realized that she had just insulted him. She turned up the radio slightly when she heard Weezer's Beverly Hills come on. "I love this song!"

"I do too! Weezer rocks!" BB agreed as he turned it up even more. They sang along loudly (and (BB) rather badly) as the band bitched about social differences and how materialistic some girls were. When it was over, he turned it down as some commercials came on. "Hey, did you see that music video they did with The Muppets?"

"Oh yeah, that was hilarious," she agreed. "Do you like Linkin Park?"

"Nah, they're too angsty."

"You're kidding me?" she asked, flabbergasted. "Some people like the angst."

They chatted (and argued) about music for about an hour, when Sonia decided to interrupt Beastboy's lengthy explanation as to why Evanescence sucked by exclaiming, "We're here!" rather cheerfully.

"-what's the deal with candy clouds any-huh? Where?" he asked as he opened his door and got out. They were in a rather dingy looking neighborhood with mostly single-wides and a couple double-wides. Most of the houses had tricycles and plastic playhouses in front of them, along with a couple of larger bikes. Boom walked (actually more like ran) up to a cream-colored double wide with no trikes but two bikes in the yard; a smaller pink one and a larger black one with flames and pegs on the wheels.

A few seconds after she had knocked, Sonia greeted the elderly woman who answered the door uncertainly, fearing she had picked the wrong house. It was actually Dave's grandma, saying he had just stepped out for a walk around the block, and that they could wait in the backyard. She seemed suspicious of the pink-haired youth wearing a fitted black Green Day t-shirt (one with the hand holding the bloody grenade), a Happy Bunny bag that held the Madison Stone, a black wristband with a skull on it and tight jeans over black and red DC's. Beastboy looked rather normal though. He wore a yellow t-shirt with a monkey on the front of it, baggy, raggedy jeans and gray Vans.

Sonia signaled BB to follow her to the backyard where they sat on a long forgotten swing set and waited. The woods behind them where rather dark and foreboding, consisting mostly of old oaks and maples. The trees looked dreary because, being fall, their leaves were brown and orange, but not very fiery at all. There was little plant life other than the trees on the leaf-strewn ground.

Beastboy wondered what kind of animals lived in there. The thoughts only making him feel worse, he turned his attention to the backyard. The grass barely grew, and where it didn't, you could see patches of red clay.

His eyesight moved up to the house. It had three windows on the back wall. One had the blinds drawn, but neither of the other two did. In one, he could see pink paint on the walls where they weren't covered with unicorn, Strawberry Milkshake (the old ones, not the new shit, I hate that!), and Sailor Moon posters. The other was considerably darker. You couldn't be sure what color the walls were originally because of all the Godsmack, Marilyn Manson, Cold, Smashing Pumpkins, and Disturbed posters. There were also Polaroid's of a band that consisted of three guys and a girl. He couldn't make out what the people looked like other than that.

"Guess which one's his twelve year old sister's," Sonia said, noticing where he was gazing.

"Huh? Oh, I'm certain it's the one with the poster of the naked chic," he joked.

Suddenly, they heard thumping rock music coming from a car that had just pulled into the driveway. The engine and the music stopped and they heard a door open and close followed by laughter. Sonia jumped off the swing and ran off to the source of the sound. BB followed swiftly behind.

"Like shit you did. I beat your ass all up and down that junkyard."

"Well, next time I get first pick. I'm gonna get Crazy Fred and leave you with Jackal."

"Still won't beat me."

"Betcha I could," Boom said about two feet behind the guy who had beaten the other.

"What th-Boom! Is that you? Holy fuck!" David exclaimed, catching her in a death grip and lifting her off the ground.

"Good to see you, too, ya great lummox. Now let me breath!" she shouted.

"Ooooh, who's she? Hoe on the side?" and other calls came from the car. The dark youths in the car were all checking out Boom, analyzing her. _Medium height, skull wristband, Green Day shirt, DC's, pink hair, nice body, damn. _(They were probably having worse thoughts, but I'm not going there. I'm actually running away from there.)

"As if." Boom grinned. "He's getting no where near my ass." This brought an eruption of laughter from the old dented up station wagon. _And funny too. Where's she been?_

"Yeah, you want me. Anyway, see you guys later." The teens left with a few more catcalls and more thumping bass lines. "So, what's up? Ain't seen you or Krys in forever. You've grown some." So had he, as Sonia noticed when she looked him up and down. His red hair had grown slightly, but he kept it spiked up. His shirt had Inuyasha on it, and his baggy black pants had plenty of rips in them, probably from skating. He had gotten even taller than when she had last seen him, but less lanky.

She seemed to realize that she had been staring and shook herself. "Um, I'm okay I guess. But, I need your help with something."

"What is it? Did something happen?" He was immediately concerned.

She felt almost guilty as she started to unfold her tale.


	5. Chapter 5

**My most sincere apologies for the delay. Here's two chapters to make up for it. Review PLEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEASE!**

Woohoo! Chapter 5! It's an early night. Only midnight. On with the dancing monkeys-oh, and the story too!

The Changeling's Dilemma Chapter 5

"I-I can't believe it. Phil's gonna hate you, you know," was all Dave could say after Boom's monotonous speech. "So, who's this?" he said turning to BB, who was sitting on the ground since the swing set had only two swings.

"Oh, uh he's…" Sonia didn't know if she should tell him that Beastboy was a super hero. It might cause some problems.

"Garfield Logan," he introduced himself as he stood up and held out his hand. "Call me Gar."

"David McCarran. Dave if you like." They shook hands and Sonia, after withholding an explosion of laughter, explained that he had been able to change into any animal he wanted, until Madison took his ability. "Madison?" he questioned.

"I'll explain when we meet up with Philip," she said. She didn't feel like explaining it more than twice in one day. "So, can you go with us to clear up this whole mess? We could use your help."

"Of course. I'll explain it to Granny, she'll let me go." He stood up and led the way to the back door. "Come wait inside while I pack."

Inside was pretty typical of a lower-to-middle class family. Family photos, angel figurines, and old comfy couches dominated the living room. The old woman sat in one of the recliners, a half-finished crocheted afghan sat in her lap, wriggling a bit from the labor she was putting into it.

Sonia didn't sit down for long before standing up and excusing herself to go to the bathroom. When she was down, she accidentally went the wrong way and ended up in Dave's room. She stepped in the room, and when realized where she was she apologized and tried to back out, but he asked her to come in.

"I wanted to talk to you anyway," he explained.

"Okay, what about?" she asked, sitting gingerly on the clothing-strewn bed.

He knelt down in front of her and took her hands. He looked up at her with a concerned look in his eyes. "I wanted to ask you if you were okay. I must have been terrible to have to do what you did."

"I-I'm as fine as someone who recently murdered her sister could be," she coldly replied.

"Ha ha. No, seriously, are you going to be okay?" She could feel his thumbs rubbing small circles on her wrists. She blushed profusely.

(hey, Weezers on again!)

"Y-yeah, I will be, eventually." Sonia stopped blushing and her face and voice hardened. "When I send that bitch Madison back to hell where she belongs."

"Yeah, yeah." David stood up, releasing her hands and grabbing the black duffel bag that sat on the floor. "Just don't get too wrapped up in all this 'revenge' shit, okay?"

"Whatever," she mumbled, standing up and stretching her back. Since she had closed her eyes, she didn't see Dave's move up and down her body as she popped her back. "Let's hit the road."

When they walked back out into the living room, 'Gar' grinned sagely and said, "So, what were you two doing all alone back there?"

"Talking, you little grass stain!" Boom shouted as she threw a pillow at him, whacking him upside the head as tried to dodge unsuccessfully.

(ooh, System of a Down's BYOB is playing now!)

(I just got what BYOB stands for. I feel slow.)

(but, wait. Why would they name their song that? Oh well)

(pfffft)

(damn writers' block…)

"So, where are we headed now?" Beastboy asked Boom, who had refused to let either one of them drive.

(Yay, Linkin Park is on! I will make Chester Bennington MINE!)

"North Constantine. Phil's long lost uncle adopted him, and guess what? He's filthy stinkin' rich. Lucky piece of…" she grumbled incoherently.

"Anyway, he's been digging on Krys since the first time he met 'er. Not that he ever told 'er. He'll probably regret that like hell." He may have sounded like he was, joking, but Dave was really worried about how Phil was going to take the news. "Hey, Boom, let me tell him. I wanna explain it to him."

"Okay," Sonia complied. She wasn't really about to put up a fight about this. She already felt burdened by telling Dave.

After about half an hour, they reached the gates of Sorenson manor. They told the ultra snobby voice on the intercom their names and were let through. "DUDE!" Gar shouted. "It's a frickin' castle!" It might as well have been. The landscaping, the dramatic steps, the fountains, it all made them feel a little underprivileged.

They waited at the car for Phil to come out, and when he finally did, Sonia and David hardly recognized him. In the three years since they had last seen him, he had gained a foot, lost the acne and the glasses, and now his once greasy hair was sleek and jet-black.

"Hey, long time no see. What're those looks for?" he asked them.

"Nothing, man. It's good to see you." David said, the first to step forward and give him a manly hug.

"Same to you. How's Katie?"

"The same. Obsessed with Sailor Moon. I regret introducing her to it."

"Hey, Phil. How ya doin'?" Sonia asked him as she hugged him.

"Same old, same old. Who's this?" he asked nodding towards Garfield.

"This is Gar Logan. Met 'im in Jump City."

"Your main squeeze?" he winked at Sonia, who blushed and mumbled something like 'he wishes'. "So, why're ya'll here? Where's Krys?"

His question evaporated the easy atmosphere, and left a much more tense one. "Come with me, man," Dave said, walking into the house.

After about five minutes, they came back, Dave trailing behind the stony looking Phillip. When he came up to Boom, she started to apologize.

_SMACK!_

"Phillip!"

"DAMMIT, PHIL!"

"You fucking piece of shit!" He raised his hand and slapped her again. "How the hell can you live with yourself!"_ SMACK!_ "How the fuck could you do that!" _SMACK!_ "She was like your goddamn sister! How the hell can you-get off me, dammit!"

Suddenly, Beastboy was standing in between the fallen Sonia and the restrained Phil. "Calm the hell down, Phil! It had to be done, there was no other way."

"I was there, I saw everything. Do you know how hard it was on Boom?"

"Then she shouldn't have done it! There must have been another way!"

"Dude, there was no other way! Krystal made her promise before she told her. It was Krystal's idea!"

"I don't care! Damn…" He finally quit fighting against David's arm lock. "Why? Why in the hell…It's your fault…"

"No, it's not Boom. Don't listen to him." Beastboy knelt beside her huddled and weeping form and tried to console her.

"…It's all your fault…"

"Phil, don't blame her," Dave warned.

"It's your fucking fault!" the distressed boy shouted as he fought to be free of Dave's grasp.

(oh, hell yeah, Sum 41!)

"Dammit, Phil, stop!" David struggled to keep him in his grip.

And then, he slipped free and leapt at Boom, knocking Gar aside as he gripped the girl's throat in his mad hands.

&c&o&c&o&n&u&t&s&!&

Hooey, so much drama. Anyway, it's like 2 AM, but I think I'll start on Chap.6. I'm on a roll!


	6. Chapter 6

**I apologize for the long delay, I left my disk at my dad's house, but I won't forget it this week. Thanks go to Loaned for the review. It gladdens my heart to know I'm not being completely ignored here. Origato gomensai!**

Like I said in the previous chapter, it's like 2AM, but I will trudge on, with slight interruptions as to what's on the radio.

The Changeling's Dilemma Chapter 6

Boom was shocked. She knew that Phillip was going to take this badly, but…but this? She felt like her lungs were about to explode, her throat was on fire where he gripped her neck._ Does he really want me to die? _she thought as she could hear Beastboy's and David's shouts of protest grow faint…_I've wanted to die_…Darkness crept into the edges of her vision…_so many times_…her eyelids grew heavy…_but Beastboy said I shouldn't_…the pain in her chest was unbearable…_So did Krys_…her body screamed for oxygen…_scream_…_I have to_…_scream_…

"Oh my God, Boom!" Gar shouted as he saw her eyes close. Finally pissed off enough to really want to hurt Phillip, he pushed off from the ground, and barreled straight into Phil's chest, head butting him. It winded him long enough for Dave to throw him away from Boom. He stood over the assailant, his foot lying none too gently over his throat.

"Now, you just lay there and cool the fuck off," he spat at the much weaker boy. "How is she?" he asked as kept his eyes on what he deemed the piece of shit under his new skate sneakers.

"She's not breathing! Do you know CPR?" Gar asked him frantically.

"Yeah, here." He put his foot down a little too firmly on Phil's neck, causing him to cough. Garfield just snorted at him. "Keep your eye on him." Despite the fact that he had hoped their first kiss would be a little more romantic, he pinched her nose closed and tilted her head back. Two breaths later, Boom coughed and gasped for air.

(Holy shit, **Nirvana!**)

"I'm so sorry, Sonia. I don't know what I was thinking," Phillip apologized as he stirred his tea restlessly. "I hope you can forgive me."

(I'm sorry, I had to mention this. There's this Sear's commercial where they have some little bitch say "Preppy is the look this fall!" or some shit like that. You don't know how glad I am ignore the trends as much as I can. Back to the story!)

"It's alright," she assured him. "I probably would have done worse if I had been in your shoes."

"That's true," Dave agreed. "And, sorry man, but you're not getting CPR from me." Laughter rang out around the table, though they could all tell some thing was missing. "So Boom, we're all here. Now tell us about this Madison bitch."

From what she found out, Madison Garner was half English, half Spanish. The records all claimed her mother as a kind Wicca, unafraid to admit that she worshipped nature, but she always used her powers to help the unhealthy. Madison was different. She despised her mother, and used her inherited powers for her own good. She grew very gifted in the dark arts, and when her parents found out they kicked her out. She had visions of the future, and so decided that a world that would become so corrupted would be much more fun to destroy. So she cursed the stones of Madison using her own blood and the blood of infant sacrifices, so that if a reincarnation of her five human sacrifices touched the right stone, it would draw out her spirit from hell, and she could destroy the world.

(author's note: I just made all that up as I was typing it!)

"Wow…what a freak!" The others all laughed and agreed with their newfound friend, Gar. They ate lunch at Phil's house, then headed out to Havertown, which was just east of Stapleton, to find a hotel and rest for the night.

The receptionist at the Open Doors Motel must have thought that Boom was some kind of whore, walking in and asking what the limit on people was for a two-bed room. It was four people so when they got to their one room, Boom crawled exhaustedly into bed while the boys decided to go to the pool and swim some before fighting over who got the other bed.

(author's note: Miraculously, they all had the psychic genius to see that they would need swimming trunks and thus packed them.)

The pool was empty other than the three fast-growing friends. They swam around and played Marco polo for a while before sitting on the steps in the shallow end and chatting about nothing and everything. There were great differences between the three, one a hero, one an anti-hero, one who had nearly every material possession he could ever want. But, since they had decided to come together for one purpose they had let their differences fall by the wayside, and enjoyed having those around them who knew what it was like to be different.

"So, Gar, what do you do in Jump City? Live with your family?" Phil asked him.

"You could say that. I got a job to buy a moped, but it got weird, so I left once I had enough money."

(Damn, Weezer's on again. It's a good song and all, but there is such a thing as overkill.)

"What was weird about it?"

"Let's just say it was my first experience with bad tofu."

"Oooooh," the other two said simultaneously, not getting it at all.

"You eat that crap?" Dave grinned at him, hoping it would antagonize his short companion.

It did. "It is SO not crap! It's-"

"Hey, you guys hear that?" Phil interrupted the would-be argument. The sound in question was extremely high pitched, so much so that it almost didn't sound human. BB knew that sound.

"Shit, Sonia!" he shouted as he jumped out of the pool, the other two on his heels.

(woot woot, Green Day, When September Ends. Someone here did a song fic with it, though I forget who it was.)

As soon as Sonia hit the mattress of the cheesy motel room, she regretted it. She hadn't thought about who waited for her in her dreams.

Welcome back little sound weaver… 

Sonia jumped up to her feet, prepared to fight. _What do you want with me witch!_

She found, for the second time that day, her throat in the hands of someone who wanted her dead. _Do not make that mistake again, little wench. _She released Boom, but left a burning sensation wherever her flesh had touched the spirits.

_You killed babies just to be able to live again._

_It's called ambition, cur._

_It's called insanity. Villainy. Absurdity, take your pick._ Sonia realized suddenly that she was no longer in a field of flowers, but in a black wasteland. It felt different than anything ever before. Despair seemed to hang in the air like humidity.

_I have decided that you are too risky to allow to live anymore. This is where I end it._

_Do not dare to think that you can command my fate, you devil! _she shouted into the gathering darkness. She took a deep breath and screamed, long and loud. But nothing happened. _What's going on?_

_We are in a different plane, banshee. Here, you cannot harm me. I think that your ability shall be an excellent addition to that of the changeling. Of course, if that fool of nymph had not gone and killed herself, I would have already completed my plans. Ah well, what is done, tis done. And now, when you become powerless, there will be none left to oppose me._

&c&o&c&o&n&u&t&s&!&

I love Coldplay. Their music rocks. Ok, it's 4 AM, so I'm going go collapse on my aunt and uncle's couch. Night, squid faces.


End file.
